Nexstar Founder’s Day of Caring Helps Non-Profit Build Beds For Kids

FRESNO, California – On Saturday morning, volunteers met at the Lithia Subaru of Fresno for Bunks Across America, an event that helps build bunk beds for kids and need.

The event was part of a national movement hosted by the non-profit Sleep in Heavenly Peace. Locally volunteers built 50 beds that will help a portion of the 500 kids in Fresno and Clovis that go to bed each night on the floor.

Nexstar Media Group chose to participate in the event as a part of it’s annual day of service event, Founder’s Day of Caring.

“Our stations are really involved every day but the truth is that we try and do something extra special for our Nexstar Founder’s Day of Caring,” said KSEE24/CBS47 General Manager Matthew Rosenfeld. “Today, I think building beds for kids that don’t have them, that is pretty special.”

Volunteers build bunk beds for over 500 local children sleeping on the floor each night.

“It’s very heartbreaking to even realize,” said Volunteer Coordinator Vivian McCutchen. “I don’t think that most people understand that when we go to sleep at night we dream of being tired and sleeping in our bed and these kids are sleeping on the floor.”

In the parking lot, volunteers got to chose from several stations where they either sanded, drilled, assembled, or stained the wood.

“Well it is wonderful,” said Volunteer Ellie Houston. ” I get to hold the sander and it twirls and I get to smooth the wood. It is an easy job and satisfying to see it come out so pretty.”

Although for many of the volunteers it was fun to be apart of the hands-on activity, the meaning behind the event is much deeper. In one day 5,000 beds were made across the nation for kids in need.

“When I talk to these moms or these days they are so appreciative for some help,” said Sleep in Heavenly Peace Fresno Chapter Co-President Alisa Sipes. “There are some rough times. They have had bad situations. They just got custody, you know. They lost custody. They had domestic violence. All kinds of things I have seen. We had a little boy who had scoliosis that was sleeping on the floor. To me, that breaks my heart and I want to help as much as I can in any way that I can. ”

As volunteers worked, the goal on the back of the shirts read clear- ‘NO KID SLEEPS ON THE FLOOR IN OUR TOWN’- a reminder that with each screw, a new bed is closer to being finished and delivered to the children’s home.

“You know, it helps that if we make a difference with just one kid,” said McCutchen. “Every single time we do a delivery, and when we do these huge build events, it just makes you realize that little by little we are making a huge impact for the kids in our community.”

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